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Retinal Hemorrhage after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination
Hyo Song Park1, Yeojue Byun2, Suk Ho Byeon1
1Department of Ophthalmology, The Institute of Vision Research, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03772, Korea.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|December 10, 2021
Summary
SARS-CoV-2 vaccination may be linked to retinal vein occlusion and submacular hemorrhage. These serious ocular events, including age-related macular degeneration complications, occurred shortly after initial vaccine doses in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Vaccinology
- Retinal Vascular Diseases
Background:
- The widespread administration of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines has raised questions about potential systemic and localized effects.
- Retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD)-related submacular hemorrhage are significant causes of vision loss.
- Understanding potential adverse events following vaccination is crucial for public health and patient safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the occurrence of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD)-related submacular hemorrhage following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
- To describe the clinical characteristics and visual outcomes of patients experiencing these ocular events post-vaccination.
Main Methods:
- A single-center, retrospective observational case series.
- Inclusion of 23 eyes from 21 patients presenting with RVO or submacular hemorrhage after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
- Review of clinical data, fundus photography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans.
Main Results:
- Twelve eyes (52.2%) presented with submacular hemorrhage and 11 eyes (47.8%) with RVO.
- Most events (76.2%) occurred after the first vaccine dose, with a median time of 2 days from vaccination to symptom exacerbation.
- Visual acuity significantly decreased from a median logMAR of 0.76 pre-symptoms to 1.40 at presentation; hematological tests, including anti-PF4 antibodies, were negative in tested patients.
Conclusions:
- SARS-CoV-2 vaccination may be temporally associated with the development of RVO and AMD-related submacular hemorrhage in susceptible individuals.
- The observed ocular events primarily occurred shortly after the first vaccine dose.
- Larger studies are needed to confirm this association and evaluate the effect of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on retinal hemorrhage.
